Journal #2 (Analytic)

Pg. 5

"Hand me dat wash-rag on dat chair by you, honey.  Lemme scrub mah feet."  She took the cloth and rubbed vigorously.  Laughter came to her from the big road.

"Well, Ah see Mouth-Almighty is still sittin' in de same place. And Ah reckon they got me up in they mouth now."

"Yes indeed. You know if you pass some people and don't speak tuh suit 'em dey got tuh go way back in yo' life and see whut you ever done.  They know mo' 'bout yuh than you do yo' self. An envious heart makes a treacherous ear.  They done 'heard' 'bout you just what they hope done happened."

"If God don't think no mo' 'bout 'em then Ah do, they's a lost ball in de high grass."

• The line "An envious heart makes a treacherous ear." is not written in the style of the rest of the speaking.  While the rest of the speaking the written in a "southern" style, this particular line is written in straight english.  I think this is to bring attention to the line and to apply it to all people, not just the characters in the story.
• The above quote could also be foreshadowing for Tea Cake's jealous rage that ended up killing him
• "Mouth-Almighty" is a religious allusion to give the sense that the gossipers are above average people, or godly.
• The scrubbing of feet portion of the passage is to make Janie seem very human, which serves as a foil to the gossipers that are referenced as being godly
• The feet scrubbing I believe is also to set a relaxed scene between Janie and her friend by showing that even personal things are not refrained from one or the other, they are 100% open
• When Janie states that she is "up in their mouths", this is similar to the first page of the book where they say that "nations" pass through their mouths.  This sets up that Janie is "big" gossip, and that there is a story that the reader has yet to learn.
• While the earlier lines seem to humanize Janie, the final line seems to make her more "godly" since the gossipers are nothing as long as God and her don't care about them.
• Most of the passage being in the southern dialect makes the passage feel like there is no pretense, and that everything that is said is truly her thoughts.  (This could just be me though...)
• The line that "the laughter came to her" i find interesting because the author did not say that she heard the laughter.  I think this could be a way to show that Janie was not listening for the laughter or gossip, but that the gossipers wanted her to hear it so she would think of them...